The Next Chapter

I'm going to miss being a teacher.

I knew I wanted to be a teacher way back in second grade. Sure, there were times I dreamed about pursuing other careers. I wanted to be a nurse for a while. Thankfully my mom was there to remind me that nurses shouldn't cry, scream, or faint at the sight of blood. In high school, I went through a brief lawyer phase, filled with dreams of heated courtroom banter and perfectly tailored pantsuits. And, of course, there was my detective phase. And by detective, I mean Nancy Drew. And by phase, I mean era. Yup, I wanted to be Nancy Drew - girl wonder, super sleuth, detective extraordinaire - for an embarrassingly long time. Through it all, though, the desire to be a teacher remained. You know, as a back-up plan if the whole Nancy Drew gig didn't work out.

You know that old saying "Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life"? It's true. For the past six years, I have done what I love every.single.day. I LOVE teaching. It's not only my dream job; it's also my hobby, passion, addiction. Now don't get me wrong - teaching is hard work. While there are moments of brilliance and satisfaction, most days are downright thankless. Especially these days, when it seems everyone is critical of our public education system. Depending on who you talk to, teachers are underqualified, or too demanding, or overpaid. (Can I just pause here to say how much I dislike the last group of people? People who claim that teachers are overpaid because they get the summers off are possibly the most ignorant people I know. Seriously. We can't be friends. Not even on Facebook.) In spite of all this, I am convinced I have the best job in the world. It's going to be so hard to say goodbye.

But ...

I am so excited for the future! I'm looking forward to focusing on my family for this season - playing with my little man, supporting my husband, possibly improving my cooking abilities (a girl can hope!). And although one chapter of my life is closing - the one where I learned that life is a balancing act, and that sometimes children are the best teachers, and that school pictures are still horrifying as an adult - I have a feeling the best chapter has yet to be written. How could it be anything but great when this little guy is one of the main characters!?